A number of foods and drinks often taste unpleasantly bitter or sour. Since the taste is very important in consumers' selection of food products, many efforts have been made to mask or reduce the unpleasant taste.
Bitter-tasting materials are water-insoluble in general. Bitterness is characterized in that longer time is required to sense as compared to other sweet, sour and salty tastes and is long-lasting. The representative bitter-tasting substance in root plant such as red ginseng, green tea, etc. is saponin, which is a glycoside composed of a sugar and a carbohydrate. Red ginseng refers to a fresh ginseng which has been steamed and dried. The major components of red ginseng include, like white ginseng, glycosides, panacen, polyacetylene compounds, nitrogen-comprising ingredients, flavonoids, vitamin B, microelements, enzymes, antioxidants, organic acids and amino acids. Many researches have been made on the major components and pharmacological activity of red ginseng. Scientifically proven efficacies of red ginseng include immune-enhancing, anticancer, anticoagulant, blood pressure-lowering, anti-stress, blood sugar-lowering, anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-aging efficacies. According to researches, red ginseng has been shown to improve the body's ability to defend against various harmful environments and stresses and to facilitate recovery from fatigue. Given these pharmacological efficacies of red ginseng, it is expected that long-term intake of red ginseng will be helpful in preventing and reducing the risk of various adult diseases. However, the bitter taste and characteristic flavor of red ginseng make it to be unfavored by children and fastidious people.
At present, cyclodextrins (CD) are used to lodge saponins inside the cyclodextrin rings and thereby masking the bitter taste of red ginseng. As natural plant-derived food additives, although the cyclodextrins are effective in masking the bitter taste of foods, they tend to lower the level of the active ingredients. Accordingly, sugars or sweeteners are used to lower or avoid the use of cyclodextrins.